Lina is a fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl who is accepted into a prestigious summer art program just before the Soviet secret police deport her family. She is headstrong, observant, and frequently struggles to contain her outspoken opinions when confronting the Soviet guards. To cope with the brutal conditions of the labor camps, she draws on scraps of paper and a handkerchief, hiding the images to pass along the train route in hopes they reach her missing father.

Jonas is Lina's ten-year-old brother, a sweet boy thrust into a brutal adult world. He misses his father deeply and attempts to take on a protective role for his mother and sister. He quickly learns to scavenge for food and supplies, demonstrating resilience while suffering from exposure and malnutrition.

Elena is Lina and Jonas's resourceful mother. Fluent in Russian, she serves as an informal leader and translator for the deported group. She gives her own bread rations to her children and continually attempts to bridge the gap between the prisoners and their captors through extreme patience and nonviolent resistance.

Kostas is a university provost and the father of Lina and Jonas. He is a principled man who encourages his children to stand up for their beliefs. Separated from his wife and children at the train yard, his advice and moral example continue to influence his family's decisions in the labor camps.

Andrius is a seventeen-year-old Lithuanian boy deported with his mother. Resourceful and pragmatic, he frequently sneaks out of the barracks to gather information, cigarettes, and extra food. He balances his own deep anger with a practical approach to survival, offering blunt advice and necessary supplies to the Vilkas family.

Kretzsky is a young, blond NKVD guard assigned to watch the deported Lithuanians. He follows orders to march and punish the prisoners, yet occasionally leaves small scraps of wood or turns his back to give them momentary relief. His interactions with Lina are hostile, though Elena insists on treating him as a misguided youth rather than a permanent enemy.

Komorov is the egomaniacal NKVD commander at the Altai labor farm. He forces the prisoners into grueling agricultural work while living comfortably in the camp office. He actively attempts to break the prisoners' spirits and demands that Lina draw a flattering portrait of him, despite his role in terrorizing her family.

Ivanov is an NKVD guard recognizable by his rotten teeth. He intentionally destroys the prisoners' meager shelters, steals their bread rations, and uses Janina's doll for target practice. He revels in inflicting physical and psychological pain on the deportees, making life in the Arctic environment even more unbearable.

Mrs. Arvydas is Andrius's beautiful mother. She faces intense harassment from the Soviet guards and is forced into agonizing compromises in order to prevent them from hurting her son. She maintains a neat appearance under duress to satisfy the officers' demands.

Mr. Stalas is a bitterly pessimistic stamp collector who breaks his leg during the initial arrest. His injury forces him to rely entirely on the charity of others, particularly Elena. He frequently voices the darkest, most fatalistic thoughts of the group and actively attempts to discourage any expressions of hope.

Miss Grybas is a strict but dedicated schoolteacher from Kaunas. She remains fiercely committed to her profession, using her organizational skills to help Elena care for the injured and actively trying to find ways to continue teaching the children despite Soviet restrictions.

Mrs. Rimas is a resourceful and comforting librarian. She utilizes her skills to entertain the children with stories during the train journey and works closely with Elena to nurse the sickest members of their group in the labor camps.

Mr. Lukas is a calm, gray-haired attorney who acts as a steadying presence for the deportees. He continually winds his pocket watch as a coping mechanism, tracking time so the prisoners do not lose their connection to history. He offers legal and strategic advice to help the group survive the NKVD's demands.

Ona is a young, deeply traumatized woman who is dragged from the hospital immediately after giving birth. Disoriented and grieving the separation from her husband, she loses the ability to feed her infant and relies entirely on the other women in the cattle car for basic survival.

Janina is a young girl severely traumatized by the deportation process. After a guard violently destroys her doll, she begins to suffer from delusions, using imaginary conversations with the toy as a psychological shield against the horrors of the labor camps.

Liale is Janina's cherished doll. The toy serves as Janina's imaginary confidant and becomes a symbolic victim of the camp's casual cruelty when targeted by the Soviet guards.

Ulyushka is a squat Altaian woman forced to house the Vilkas family on the collective farm. Initially hostile and demanding rent from the destitute prisoners, she gradually develops a silent, transactional coexistence with Elena based on shared survival needs.

Dr. Samodurov is an inspection officer and medical professional. He represents a rare institutional intervention in the desolate environment, providing necessary medical supervision, food distribution, and basic human decency to the surviving deportees.

Joana is Lina's beloved cousin. Before the deportation, the two girls shared secrets, academic dreams, and normal teenage experiences in Lithuania. Her family's location and status remain a significant topic of discussion among the Vilkas family.

Petras is Kostas's brother and Joana's father. He lives in Lithuania before the Soviet occupation drastically alters the lives of his extended family, and his choices regarding relocation weigh heavily on Kostas.

Dr. Seltzer is a Jewish colleague of Kostas Vilkas. He appears in Lina's memories discussing the dangerous political climate of Europe before the deportations begin, providing context for the adults' anxiety.

The Repeater is a tall man transferred from a neighboring labor camp. Traumatized by his experiences, he obsessively repeats improbable fantasies about being sent to America via the Bering Strait, offering a false sense of hope to the desperate prisoners.